King Returns: Ex-Gov. Fights For Snowe's Senate Seat

Former Maine Gov. Angus King has been out of office since 2003. He currently teaches at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

Joel Page
/ AP

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With the recent surprise announcement that Maine's three-term Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe will not seek re-election this year, the race for her coveted seat has blown wide open. Republicans and Democrats are both counting on a victory in what is shaping up to be a pitched battle for control of the U.S. Senate. But there's a potential spoiler to the party planning: former independent Gov. Angus King.

King has been retired from politics for nearly a decade, but the two-term governor still has the kind of approval rating most politicians dream about: 62 percent, according to one recent poll.

Now, at almost 68, he has decided he wants to run for Senate as an independent. That same poll from a Democratic polling firm gives him the lead in a potential three-way race against a Republican and a Democratic candidate. King says that if he wins, he might help break the partisan gridlock that's been gripping Congress.

"I don't have any illusions that I'm naively going to go down and [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid and [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell are going to say, 'Angus, tell us how to do this,' " King says. "I mean, I know that's not going to work. But I think, No. 1, my election would send a significant message and, No. 2, it might provoke similar movements in other states. If there were four or five people like me, that would change the whole dynamic."

From RV Road Trip To Senate Campaign

When he first ran for governor in 1994, King was a largely unknown lawyer and part-time public television talk show host who had amassed a small fortune working in alternative energy and conservation. As governor, he was probably best-known for championing a program that provides laptops for students.

More recently, King has been working on wind power development and teaching a popular course on leaders and leadership at Bowdoin College. He rides a Harley-Davidson and has written a book about his family's five-month odyssey traveling the country in an RV. According to Kay Rand, his former chief of staff, King was planning a second road trip just a few days before Snowe announced she wouldn't run again.

"He was proudly showing me the pictures of the RV," Rand says. "Never once did a conversation about elected office come up. Not once."

When King did decide to run, Rand says she was right there with him — she'd take a leave of absence from her job to work as his campaign manager.

"He still doesn't know whether he's going to be able to make a difference, but he has to try," she says.

A Coalition-Building Independent

King hasn't yet gathered the required signatures to ensure a place on Maine's ballot, but his intentions are already drawing fire from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. King has been coy about saying whether he would caucus with Democrats or Republicans in Washington, and while he says he would prefer to go it alone, the NRSC isn't buying it. King did endorse President Obama, after all, and no other big-name Democrat is expected to get into the race.

In a recent online ad, Republicans accused King of cutting a secret deal with the Democrats to run for Snowe's seat. "Maine deserves better than smoke-filled backroom deals," the ad says.

"It's total bunk," King says.

According to King, the ad only proves his point that the status quo in Washington has to be challenged. As an independent governor who had a Democratic-controlled House and a Republican-controlled Senate, King became adept at forming coalitions to pass legislation, says former Republican state Sen. Phil Harriman.

"I think what's going to be interesting for people who watch this race to see is can Angus King make the transition from the chief executive officer of the state to one of a hundred legislators where it's a whole different mindset?" Harriman says.

The Thinking Person's Politician

King tends to be fiscally conservative. As governor, he vetoed several Democratic-backed labor bills, including one to raise the minimum wage. He's more liberal on social issues, like abortion rights and same-sex marriage. And he knows how to grab headlines — he once dived into a river fully clothed during a news conference to announce a pollution cleanup plan.

But according to Maine's former Democratic House Speaker Mike Saxl, the most important thing to know about King is that he's a thinking person's politician who also happens to have the gift of gab.

"He can effectively communicate complicated ideas in a rather straightforward way, and that's a huge asset when you're working in politics," Saxl says.

As an independent, King will need those assets, especially if he is to prevail in a U.S. Senate race that's already lining up to be one of the most watched in the country, and one of the most expensive in Maine history.

In Maine, Republicans and Democrats are both counting on victory in the race for a coveted Senate seat. But it may be that neither party wins. The seat currently belongs to Olympia Snowe, a Republican, and she's not seeking re-election. But now there's a potential spoiler for both parties, an independent candidate, former Maine Governor Angus King.

Here's reporter Susan Sharon of Maine Public Radio.

SUSAN SHARON, BYLINE: He's been retired from politics for nearly a decade but two-term Governor Angus King still has the kind of approval rating most politicians dream about - 62 percent, according to a recent poll. And now, on the verge of turning 68, he's decided he wants to run for Senate as an independent. The same poll gives him the lead in a potential three-way race.

King says if he wins he might help break the partisan gridlock that grips Congress.

ANGUS KING: And I don't have any illusions that I'm naively going to go down and Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell are going to say Angus, tell us how to do this. I mean I know that's not going to work. But I think number one, my election would send a significant message. And number two, it might provoke similar movements in other states. If there were four or five people like me, that would change the whole dynamic.

SHARON: As Governor King is probably best known for championing a program that provides laptops for students. More recently, he's been working on wind power development, and teaching a popular course on leaders and leadership at Bowdoin College.

When he first ran for governor in 1994, King was largely unknown; a lawyer and part-time public television talk show host, who'd amassed a small fortune working in alternative energy and conservation.

He rides a Harley, wrote a book about his family's five month odyssey traveling the country in an RV, and says former chief of staff Kay Rand was planning a second road trip. She had lunch with him just a few days before Senator Snowe announced she would not run.

KAY RAND: He was proudly showing me the pictures of the RV and never once did a conversation about elected office come up. Not once.

SHARON: Once King did make up his mind to run, Rand says hers was made up, too. She'll take a leave of absence from her job to work as his campaign manager.

RAND: He still doesn't know whether he's going to be able to make a difference, but he has to try.

SHARON: King hasn't even gathered the required signatures to assure a place on Maine's ballot, but his intentions are already drawing fire from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. That's because King has been coy about saying whether he would caucus with Democrats or Republicans in Washington. He says he'd prefer to go it alone.

The NRSC doesn't buy that. King did endorse President Obama, after all, and no big name Democrat will be getting in the race. In a recent online ad, Republicans accused King of cutting a secret deal with the Democrats to run for Snowe's seat.

ANGUS KING: It's total bunk. If this weren't a family radio station, I would use a stronger term.

SHARON: King says the ad only proves his point that the status quo in Washington has to be challenged. As an independent governor who had a Democratic-controlled house and a Republican-controlled senate, King became adept at forming coalitions to pass legislation, says former Republican State Senator Phil Harriman.

PHIL HARRIMAN: I think what's going to be interesting to see is - can Angus King make the transition from the chief executive officer of a state to one of 100 legislators where it's a whole different mindset.

SHARON: King tends to be fiscally conservative. As governor, he vetoed several Democrat-backed labor bills, including one to raise the minimum wage. He's more liberal on social issues - abortion rights and same sex marriage, for example, and he knows how to grab headlines. He once dove into a river fully clothed during a news conference to announce a pollution cleanup plan.

But the most important thing to know about him, says former Democratic House Speaker Mike Saxl, is that he's a thinking person's politician who happens to have the gift of gab.

MIKE SAXL: And as a result, he can effectively communicate complicated ideas in a rather straightforward way and that's a huge asset when you're working in politics.

SHARON: As an independent, King will need those assets and more if he's to prevail in a senate race that's already lining up to be one of the most watched in the country and one of the most expensive in Maine history.